Door checking appliance



Dec. 15, 1964 J. N. MORRIS .-E'-l'.-AL 3,160,911

DOOR CHECKING APPLIANCE Original Filed Oct. 24. 1960 S m M 0 m BL mRm ewm d a R u R NA NM ,N Hm 4 CU JR ATTORNEYS United States Patent Ofiice3,160,91 l Patented Dec. 15, 1964 3,160,911 DSOR CIECKING APPLIANCE JohnNeville Morris, 38 Carpenter Road, Edgbaston, Birmingham, England, andRuth Margaret Williams, Littlecot Mill, Enford, near Pewsey, EnglandOriginal application Oct. 24, 1960, Ser. No. 64,499, new Patent No.3,118,167, dated Jan. 21, 1964. Divided and this application Apr. 10,1963, Ser. No. 271,900

2 Claims. (Cl. 16-52) This invention relates to a door closer of thetype employing a coil spring which is wound up when the door is opened,and which operates to close the door against the resistance of a dampingfluid, and this application is divided from our co-pending applicationSerial No. 64,499 filed on October 24, 1960, now Patent Number3,118,167, issued January 21, 1964.

According to the invention a door closer of this type comprises a maincasing having a primary shaft mounted rotatably therein and adapted forconnection to the door or surrounding structure so as to be rotated whenthe door is opened, a coil spring connected at one end to said shaft andat the other end to the main casing, 21 secondary shaft rotatablymounted within the casing and carrying a rotor disposed within acylindrical chamber containing a fluid damping medium of relatively highviscosity and a one-way clutch device operatively connected between saidprimary and secondary shafts and adapted to transmit rotary motion fromthe primary to the secondary shaft when the door is closing under theinfluence of the coil spring.

The fluid damping medium is preferably a putty-like substance having arelatively high viscosity and one particular substance, which is knownas silicone putty (or bouncing putty), has particularly usefulproperties in relation to the present invention because this putty hasthe unique property that when subject to a sudden shock load, it ceasesto behave as a viscous fluid or putty-like substance and shearsabruptly. For application of moderate stressit behaves like a normalhighly viscous fluid but under shock load it behaves like a fragilenon-ductile solid. Thus, this characteristic limits the load which canbe applied to the attachment points of a door closer if an attempt ismade to override violently the damping action such as a sudden severeload being applied to the door to hasten its rate of closing.

The one-way clutch device may take the generally known form of a coilspring which is adapted to be wound up or unwound according to thedirection of rotation.

The invention is illustrated in the accompanying drawings wherein:

FIGURE 1 is a plan view of a door closer embodying the features of theinvention.

FIGURE 2 is a vertical section on the line 2-2 in FIGURE 1.

FIGURE 3 is a section on the line 33 in FIGURE 2.

FIGURE 4 is a section corresponding to FIGURE 3 but showing the positionof the parts when the door has been openedpast a predetermined maximumposition to enable a latching device to come into operation.

Referring to the drawings, the invention is shown as applied to a doorcloser which is contained within the outer main casing 30 which would besecured with its axis vertical to the door or door frame.

The cylinder 30' is closed at its lower end and its upper end has an endplate 31 having a central hollow boss 32 in which is rotatably mounted aprimary shaft 33 the outer end of which is suitably formed fornonrotative engagement by a lever arm 34, and this lever arm would bepivotally connected to a connecting rod which in turn is connected tothe swivel member upon a mountitself moving the primary shaft in thereverse direction. I

tending grooves or serrations.

ing plate secured to the door or door frame according to the position ofmounting of the casing 30.

Disposed within the bottom of the main casing 30 is the cylinder 35 ofthe fluid damping device and this has an upwardly extending co-axialsleeve 36 formed integral 1y with the cylinder 35 and providing abearing for the secondary shaft 37.

The lower end of the secondary shaft 37 has fixed thereon the rotor 38of the fluid damping device, this being in the form of a disc providedwith axially extending grooves or serrations along its periphery, whilstthe interior of cylinder 35 is also provided with axially ex- As analternative to the serrations, the surfaces concerned may be knurled orotherwise deeply roughened. The annular space within the cylinder'35 isfilled with a putty-like substance, such as silicone putty, indicated at39 in FIGURE 2 and a suitable sealing ring 40 is provided at theposition where the secondary shaft 37 makes exit from the chamber 35.

Both the prirnary and the secondary shafts may be provided in suitablepositions as shown in FIGURE 2 with bearing sleeves which may also beformed from a synthetic resinous material such as nylon.

The primary shaft 33 is formed intermediate its upperv end of the spring42 being suitably fixed to the interior of the main casing 3h.

The primary shaft 33 extends downwardly and at its lower end is locatedrotatably in an axial recess formed.

in the enlarged end 43 on the secondary shaft 37 and this enlarged end43 has a radially extending flange 44 upon which is fixed a cup member45.

The underside of the attachment plate 41 has also fixed thereto, aninverted cup member 46 similar to the member 45 and a close-coiledspring 47 is disposed so as to engage within the cup members 46 and 45and this forms the one-way clutch device.

The door closer illustrated also includes means for automaticallylatching the door in an open position when the primary shaft has beenrotated beyond a predeterminted maximum angle, so that if the door isopened beyond a certain extent, say the latching means comes intooperation to hold the door in the open position.

Referring particularly to FIGURES 3 and 4, such latching means comprisesa protuberancein the form of a sleeve 4% fixed in the wall of the endcap 31 and a fulcrum post 49 mounted in the attachment plate 41, thefulcrum post having mounted thereon, a hollow roller 50 which is engagedby the outer profile of a leaf spring 51 held at its end in recesses 52formed in upstanding walls 53 on two opposed side edges of theattachment plate 41 In the drawings, the latching means is, shown on oneside only of the primary shaft, but if desired such latching means maybe duplicated on the other side of the primary shaft where a furtherprotuberance 54 is indicated. 1

In the operation of the latching meanswhen the position of FIGURE 3 isreached which indicates the pre determined maximum position of theopening of the door, the hollow roller 50 contacts the protuberance 48thus causing the roller 5t to rock about the fulcrum post 49 and beforced inwardly towards the primary shaft 48, thus acting to latch orretain the primary shaft with I sufficient restraint toprevent thereturn spring 42 by During the action of latching or retaining the doorin an open position, corresponding to the co-action of the fixed'proturberance, hollow roller, fulcrum post and leaf spring as describedin the preceding paragraph, it

ment of the fixed protuberance upon the hollow roller in; respect of itsaction in overcoming the load of the leaf spring during the action oflatching or retaining than during the opposite action of unlatching orreleasing. Such a differential of mechanical advantage is convenientlyachieved by, providing the fulcrum post with an asyma metricalcross-sectional form so chosen that, in response to impul-sion in onedirection by the fixed protuberance, the interior periphery of theroller 'fulcrums about a line of contact on the fulcrum post which liesradially closer to the primary shaft than that about which the interiorof the roller is compelled to fulcrum in response to impulse by thefixed protuberance in thecpposite direction.

v The desired cross-section of the fulcrum post may be obtained. asillustrated by forming the post from two split sleeves or alternativelya fulcrum post ofequilateral triangular cross-section arranged with oneofits sides in a plane radial to the axis of the primary shaft maybeprovided. a

operates to close the door against the resistance of a damping fluid,comprising a main casing, a primary shaft rotatably mounted within saidcasing, means connecting said primary shaft with the door structurewhereby the primary shaft is rotated when the door is opened, a coiledreturn spring connected at one end to the primary shaft and at the otherend to the main casing, a secondary shaft rotatably mounted within thecasing, in co-axial alignment with said primary shaft, a cylindricalchamber formed within said casing, a rotor mounted upon said secondaryshaft, and disposed within said chamber, a damping fluid of highviscosity filling the space between the interior of said chamber andsaid rotor, a cup-shaped member fixed co-axi-ally to" said primaryshaft, a similar cup-shaped member fixed co-axially to said secondaryshaft, and a close-coiled spring engaging partly within one and partlywithin the other of said cup-shaped members, and acting as a one-Wayclutch device operating between said primary and secondary shafts totransmit rotary'motion from the primary shaft to the secondary shaftwhen the door is closing.

In the above desired arrangement, the coil spring should be handed inaccordance with whether the device is applied to a right-hand or a,left-hand door and this same requirement applies to the direction ofasymmetry of the cross-section of the fulcrum post or posts in thelatching means:

The action of the door closer is as follows:

\Vhen an opening movement is imparted to the door, I

members- 46 and 45 so that no significant rotation is im-.

parted to the secondaryshaft 37;

' 'On releasing the door the return spring 42 will act to reverse thedirection of rotation of the primary shaft so that the coil spring47will grip within the cup members 46 and 45 and thus transmit-rotationto the secondary shaft 37 so that the closing movement of the door isresisted by the fluid damping medium acting 1 upon the rotor 38.

If the. door is opened beyond the maximum predetermined angleillustrated in FIGURE 3, the roller or rollersStl will encounter thefixed protuberance and a moderate additional force in the openingdirection,will cause the rollerjor rollers to ride over the protuberanceand latch the door in the open position where it will remain until suchtime as sufiicient manual force is applied in the direction of closingto disengage the latching means, whereafter the door will closeautomatically under'the influence of the return spring 42.

What we claim then is: a 1. A door closer of the type having a returnspring which is stressed when the door is opened and which 2. A doorcloser of the type having a return spring which is stressed when thedoor isopened and which operates to close the door against theresistance of a damping fluid, comprising a main casing, an end cap atthe topof the main casing, a primary. shaft-rotatably mounted in'saidend cap on a vertical axis, means connecting said primary shaft with thedoor structure whereby the primary shaft is rotated when the door isopened, a coiled return spring connected at one end to the primary shaftand at the other end to the main casing, a secondary shaft rotatablymounted within the casing, in co-axial alignment with said primaryshaft, a'cylindrical chamber formed within said casing, at the bottomthereof, a rotor disc fixed to the lower end of said secondary shaft androtatable within said cylindrical chamber, a'damping' fluid of highviscosityfilling the space between the interior of said chamber and saidrotor disc, a one-way clutch device operating between said primary andsecondary shafts to transmit rotary motion from the primary shaft to thesecondary shaft when the door is closing, an attachment plate extendingradially from the primary shaft, a fulcrum post mounted on said platewith its axis parallel to the axis of the primary shaft, a hollow rollermounted freely upon said post, a protuberance on the interior of saidend cap of the main casing, and spring means-urging said hollow rolleroutwardly away from the primary shaft to co-act with said protuberance,such that, if the door is opened beyond a predetermined extent, saidroller rides over said protuberance against the pressure of said springmeans and subsequently lodges behind the protuberance to latch the doorin an open position.

References Cited by the Examiner UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,590,185 3/52Land.

2,775,317 12/56 Sinisterra' 2,818,883 1/58' Hulferd.

2,964,783 12/60. Engels.

3,118,167 1/64 Morris et a1. 7

V FOREIGN PATENTS 537,081 2/57 Canada.

DO NLE Y J. STOCKING, Primary Examiner.

1. A DOOR CLOSER OF THE TYPE HAVING A RETURN SPRING WHICH IS STRESSEDWHEN THE DOOR IS OPENED AND WHICH OPERATES TO CLOSE THE DOOR AGAINST THERESISTANCE OF A DAMPING FLUID, COMPRISING A MAIN CASING, A PRIMARY SHAFTROTATABLY MOUNTED WITHIN SAID CASING, MEANS CONNECTING SAID PRIMARYSHAFT WITH THE DOOR STRUCTURE WHEREBY THE PRIMARY SHAFT IS ROTATED WHENTHE DOOR IS OPENED, A COILED RETURN SPRING CONNECTED AT ONE END TO THEPRIMARY SHAFT AND AT THE OTHER END TO THE MAIN CASING, SECONDARY SHAFTROTATABLY MOUNTED WITHIN THE CASING, IN CO-AXIAL ALIGNMENT WITH SAIDPRIMARY SHAFT, A CYLINDRICAL CHAMBER FORMED WITHIN SAID CASING, A ROTORMOUNTED UPON SAID SECONDARY SHAFT, AND DISPOSED WITHIN SAID CHAMBER, ADAMPING FLUID OF HIGH VISCOSITY FILLING THE SPACE BETWEEN